Footwear



J; F. TEEHAN.

FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 1o, |921.

Patent@ June 20, 1922.

- facture of footwear and i ing along the sides of the shank and around formed, as, for instance, by

v l a ably' the channeling operation is 55 UNITED STATES PATENT ol-Flc-E.

JOHN F. TEEHAN, OF BROCKTON, -MASSACHUSETTS.

FOOTWEAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. TEEHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing vat Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in.Foo1twear, lof which the following is a specification.

This invention vhas rela ion to the manumore particularly to welt shoes, having for its object to produce a shoe which is highly flexible and which affords the greatest comfort to the wearer.

In accordance with the the innersole of the shoev is so constructed as `rto` form two layers or members at the shank and at the forepart with a substantially continuous rib extending from the heel along the shank around the forepart and back I-to the heel for. the attachment of the upper and the welt. This may best be accomplished by splitting the innersole from the heel to the front end of the shank and from the toe so as to leave an unslit portion extending transversely of the innersole apgroximately at the ball thereof.

n the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 represents in plan view anA innersole embodying the` invention.

Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section through the same on the line 2-2 of FiguI'e 1.

Figure 3 represents the bottom of the the innersole, the welt and upper all attached.

Figure 4 represents an enlarged section on vthe line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure V5` represents a somewhat similar section on the line 5 5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 shows a` completed shoe and illustrates theI manner in which the shank members of the innersole separate when the wearer is in the act of walking.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate cross sections through innersoles embodying the invention. In preparing the innersole, it is necessar that it should be provided with a rib exten the forepart for the attachment of the upper and the welt. This rib may be made in any of the usual ways in whichsch ribs are the employment of the usual channeling machines. Preferaccomplished after the innersole has been cut out Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 10,'1921.

present invention,

,flap-like members L Patented June 2o, 1922. serial No. 514,142. A

of a sheet of leather or other suitable material.

As shown in Figure l, the innersole,`

which is indicated as a whole at a, 1s channeled to provide the rib b which extends from heel t heel around the shank and the forepart, and

of the innersole may be reinforced in any one of the usualways. lFor example, it'may be channeled only along one edge, as shown in Figure 7, to provide the upstanding b; and, on the feather'and against the outer face of the rib, there may be secured the reinforcing strip e formed of fabric and coated with the usual compound which is employedin making Gem cloth so-called. If desired, however, the entire face of the insole, including the rib and the feather, may be covered with a reinforcing canvas layer f of cloth cemented in place.

v also to provide the usual channel c and the channel flap d; The facev rib lThe innersole is preferably split inwardly -4 from the heel end and from the toe end, as shown in Figure 2, leaving a portion of the material 'uncut as indicated at g. This uncut or solid' portion extends transversely of the innersole and is located substantially at the ball, so that there are provided the two toe or front members i1. and z' and the two shank yor rear members j andjc. l It will be observed. `that the rib of ,andv is formed on the members k and j and the innersole is continuous on the intermediatev portion of the innersole. The other members z' and lc are free at their extremities so .-that, when the innersole is bent, both -members may slide on the members lz and j. Preferably the plane of separation of the upper and lower members is between the face of the feather and the opposite face of the innersole, as shown inthe various figures of the drawing.

When the shoe is finished, the Welt 10 y1s stitched to the innersole,-the stitchesv 11 (in Figure 5) passing through the between-substance at the base-of the rib b Aand ,of the channel flap d, when an innersole such -as shown in Figure 1 is employed.. Thus lthe continuous welt is secured to thetwo lower leaving the upper members z' and-c'free to lmove or bend relatlvely thereto. 'In this way, the flexibility ofthe shoe is greatly increased. {Usually theextremlty of the member c is secured to the member j, at a point over thel heel, by fastenmgs m (see F1gure and j'of the innersole,

' 6) or by the nails which fasten the heell toV tempting to I may secure to the sole n. In some cases,

the other of the the inner face of one or 4members j, c a reinforcing abric 0 treated said invention anddescribed a way of mak` ing and using the same, although without atset forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of n its use, what I claim is l1. An innersole Jfor welt shoes having a rib extending from heel to heel around the forepart, said innersole comprising an upper member and a lower member which are attached together at substantially the ball portion and are loose at the toe end and shank.

`the ball of the shoe but signature.

2. An innersole for welt shoes having a welt-attaching rib extending around the forepart and shank," said innersole being split at the heel and. toe to provide two members integrally connected approximately at the ball of the innersole.

3. welt shoe comprising a welt, an upper, and an innersole having a continuous rib extending around the shank and forepart thereof and stitched to the welt and upper, said innersole comprising an upper and a lower member connected at approximately free therefrom at the toe'and the shank.

4. A welt shoe comprising a welt7 an upper, and an innersole having a continuous rib extending around the shank and orepart thereof and stitched to the welt and upper, said innersole being split at the shank and at the toe end and integrally connected approximately at the ball of the shoe.

In testimony whereor` I have affixed my JoHN F. rEEHAN, 

